Tactical ballistic missiles belong to the category of weapons usually directed against the rear and notably against civilian and industrial targets. Such missiles were introduced for the first time by the Germans in World War II in 1945, were used again in the 1980's in the Iran-Iraq war and forty-five years after their first introduction were used by the Iraqi forces during the so-called "Gulf War" against civilian targets in Israel and Saudi-Arabia. Yet, ever since the inception of tactical ballistic missiles, no effective defence has been devised against them.
During recent years the main efforts of research and development in the field of defence against tactical ballistic missiles was carried out within the framework of the U.S. Strategic Defence Initiative (S.D.I.) and in the relatively short history of the S.D.I. a plethora of different concepts were advanced, none of which has become operational.
In the course of the Gulf War the Patriot system, initially designed as anti-aircraft defence and subsequently modified to be able to engage tactical ballistic missiles, came into use in Israel and Saudi-Arabia. Essentially the system comprises radar seeking and detection ground stations and homing missiles launched from ground-based launchers. The system is short range and capable of intercepting tactical ballistic missiles, if at all, only after re-entry and close to the target area, with the consequence that even in case of successful interception, the debris of both the ballistic missile and the interceptor is scattered in the target area and may cause considerable damage. It is thus evident that ground-based systems designed to intercept tactical ballistic missiles close to the target area are unsuitable.
The alternative to the interception of tactical ballistic missiles by means of ground-based systems would be interception by means of airborne systems, preferably at boost phase. At boost phase the ballistic missile is a large, visible and vulnerable target with a very definite trajectory and signature and extremely difficult to simulate for deception purposes. Moreover, destruction of a ballistic missile at boost phase occurs over enemy territory so that even residual missile debris will not reach its intended target.
The next best to boost phase interception of tactical ballistic missiles by means of an airborne system would be to use such a system for post-boost phase interception remote from the target area.
To date there do not exist airborne anti-ballistic defence systems capable of detecting and intercepting tactical ballistic missiles and it is accordingly the object of the present invention to meet for the first time this long-felt need. Specifically, the invention aims at providing an integrated system with airborne interceptor missiles capable of loitering over and patrolling a hostile missile launching area, and of detecting and intercepting launched tactical ballistic missiles.